Me or the Bottle
by StillLovely
Summary: Nick can't stand to stand there and watch the man he loves deteriorate right in front of his eyes. Slash Nick/Greg.


_So, here it is. My very first Nick/ Greg story. I've been trying so hard, for a while, to write a decent slash story between the two. This one finally just flowed out of me. I'm not sure from where, but I really like it. So, please, Read and Review._

_Now, without futher ado..._

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"Nick, please. Don't do this," pleaded Greg, voice quivering, eyes full of tears.

"I have to Greg. You and I both know it," Nick replied, his own eyes brimming over. He turned back to the suitcase on the bed, folding the last few shirts. Greg followed his boyfriend's actions with his eyes, never blinking.

When he spoke, his voice was nothing but a shaky whisper. "What can I do to fix this?" Nick stopped and turned to him. He looked like he was going to say something, but thought better of it and pushed his way past Greg. Greg followed him to the kitchen, and found him digging in the cabinet, pulling out various bottles of liquor.

Nick silently lined up the bottles- six in total- on the counter. Greg could only watch. When he finished, he spoke.

"Dump them out. All of 'em."

"Nick…"

Nick shook his head. "It's me or them, G. This shit has changed you. You aren't the man I love, Greg. The man I love doesn't need alcohol to feel good. So now you decide: me or the bottle."

Greg's tears spilled over and he began sobbing, sinking to the floor. "Nicky… please... can't."

"Fine, I get it Greg." Nick walked past him, into the bedroom, and emerged a few moments later with the suitcase and his sweater. "I hope you're happy," he said, tears running down his own cheeks. With that, he was gone.

Greg sat on the floor sobbing for almost an hour. After an hour and a half, he got up and grabbed the bottles. His anger flowed freely, his tears now ones of hate. He hated that he was so weak, hated that he needed the stupid alcohol to make it better; most of all, he hated himself for making Nick leave.

He poured them in the sink one by one, eyes roaming over the labels, but only feeling the undying need to be in Nick's arms again. One bottle of rum, one bottle of whiskey, down the drain. He paused to wipe the tears away, not noticing that the front door had opened. As he poured out two bottles of vodka, he began speaking aloud.

"I'm so sorry Nicky. I never meant to hurt you; I didn't plan on ending up like this. I just can't take it anymore, though. I can't escape the nightmares, I can't forget. It's so hard, you hear me? It's impossible for me to forget that I killed someone!" He reached for the next bottle, but it slipped from his grasp as sobs shook him, shattering on the floor.

"I'm so so so sorry Nick. Forgive me for hurting you, please come back…" his voice trailed off and he gripped the edges of the sink to hold himself up.

"I do forgive you."

He spun around and there stood Nick, tears streaming down his face.

"I forgive you because I love you so much. I hate seeing you hurt, I hate that I can't be the one to comfort you. It hurts so much, G, that you'd rather let the bottle help you than me." He walked forward and grabbed Greg by the shoulders.

"I love you more than life itself. I can't stand to see you going downhill like this. Let me help you, please."

Greg released another sob before burying himself against Nick, his body shuddering with grief. He kept his eyes closed as Nick lifted his chin and kissed him deeply. As he pulled away, Greg finally opened his eyes.

"Nick, I…"

He was hushed by a finger to his lips. "You've got one more, sweetheart," said Nick, holding up the sixth bottle. Greg took it from him and turned to the sink. Nick never let go of him; instead, he held the hand that held the bottle and together they poured out the last bottle. When Greg turned back to Nick, there were tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I know this is hard, honey, but you did the right thing," whispered Nick, wiping away the tears.

"Oh Nick, these are happy tears. I'm so lucky to have you. You saved me from myself; you're just what I've needed all these months. I'm just sorry that it took me this long to see it. I love you."

Nick's lips met his in a kiss that said, "I love you, too."

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_Alright, so there it is. I hope you enjoyed this angsty fic; I know I enjoyed writing it!! Plese R&R! Thanks!_


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